Archive for 'Austin Kids'
I’ve been lucky enough to hang out with Kelly in several different capacities many times over the past few years and let me tell you, you had better be ready to laugh when she’s around because she is unstoppable and you never know what she’s going to do or say to crack you up. I imagine that’s one of the many qualities that make her such a skilled family photographer herself. So, the session started off perfectly enough…loving parents doting on their BEAUTIFUL, spunky daughter.
But then hints of their shared sense of humor started emerging: notice Kelly and her daughter are making the same face on the left up there? I did not tell them to do that. They just laid down together and looked at each other like this and I was like yup, the apple did not fall far at all ;-).
The “ice cream” I was talking about in the title of the post? Recognize it? Um. Me neither ;-). But lets just say that #1 there’s just no way to pull off a photo shoot involving ice cream on Labor Day in Texas and #2 this young lady is REALLY convincing with her cone, don’t you think? And yup…there’s more hilarious expressions again.
So Kelly’s dad was kind enough to drive out his GORGEOUS classic car for the final part of our session. I was trying to get serious photographs here, but Kelly just kept me giggling the whole time! The one on the right below? I had to be really fast to catch that one. You never know what Kelly is going to do next ;-).
And then, we just bathed in perfect light for a bit. Favity fav HERE.
SO glad to get the grandparents in here for a couple of pics at the end. SOOOOOOO cute!
In Kelly’s words:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Jason & I have been married for 13 years and Natalie is our world. Over the last few months we’ve started a lifestyle change by eating healthier and squeezing in some exercise… and we both were excited for this session so it can capture the progress that we’ve made so far.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
Well… Fall is my FAVORITE time of year… the colors, the smells, the food, and just the big hug feeling you get from it all. Since I too am a photog and it’s our busiest time of year, I opted to aim for a bit of Fall, but before all my craziness sets in.
Where was your session held and why?
Our session was in a field outside of Austin… not really a special place to us, but I’ve always loved how the Texas roughage looks in pics especially at sunset. It always as some gypsy whimsy without distracting for the subject. I was also wanting a bit of old school nostalgia for this session. Since my dad collects and rebuilds old cars, it was only natural to use one for this vibe.
What was your favorite part of your session?
LOL… Me not having to shoot it!!! With being a photog, you’d think I would have TONS of pics with me in them and WITH my family… but I’m usually on the other side of the camera. I too also want the emotion and interaction with my family captured naturally without having to stage it and set a timer… or hope that my mom might actually keep it in focus, LOL.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
Yea… that the old car wouldn’t make it there!
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
YES…. All women should get their hair and make-up done!!! I did, and it was one less thing to stress over and helps you feel more perky pretty for when you’re infront of the camera!
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
Because even though I still crave to have a boring traditional “everyone all looking and smiling at the camera shot”… I only need 1…. and the rest I love to leave it up to Michele in freezing our quirky selves.
What do you hope your family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
Awww… We actually do look good and like humans when we’re not sweating at the softball park!
It is not easy to articulate how this family makes me feel. When you’ve worked with a family for so long, it just doesn’t seem like “work” anymore and it becomes more like it’s MY own family I’m hanging out with. The kids just treat me like I’m a goofy aunt or something ;-). My Type A side tries really hard to keep my business self separated from my personal self–but that’s pretty much pointless. With a “job” this intimate, you just can’t help for your heart to become invested in the families you spend time with…you can’t help but to adore these children like you would adore your own. I was actually sad to leave my session with these guys :-(. Their children keep me so entertained…they make me laugh…they make me look upon my own kids and wish for this time back with them at these ages. And mom and dad couldn’t be more wonderful if they tried. They let their children be themselves and love them completely for exactly who they are and their passions. It’s a pretty beautiful thing to watch, actually.
She actually got in a couple of decent steps here!!! Way to go G!!!!
Big sister photobombed us at the last minute and I loved it.
Giggling at the littles.
When mom is willing to dance and twirl with her daughters in a beautiful dress during a beautiful sunset? Yes, please. Also, this one…yes, please.
A million thank you’s for letting me spend these times with your family, J and B…I love each and every time.
When trying to decide what we would do for this year’s annual family photo session, it didn’t actually take very long to land on the perfect location. You see, we all wanted something different from the past, but also something meaningful and when mom said that they often go into downtown Austin to run/bike with dad before work, well, I knew that’s exactly where we should go. We started off our very early morning with “coffee” at Jo’s because…#josisaustin. Loved the way the store lights looked, twinkling in the early morning. Also loved that her bunny (shhhhhh…don’t say anything, but I believe this is a replacement bunny) made it’s way into this session, too ;-).
Baby girl pretty much took charge and led the way for us to hit Auditorium Shores.
I love this city in the morning, too, little one!
Ohhhhhhh…that look. She *still* looks like a real, live doll to me. Those lips and those beautiful cheeks. Sigh.
Um, and how gorgeous is she???? I realized this session just how much mom and daughter look alike!!! I love being able to see new traits and features present themselves as I watch children grow up.
Okay, now these images under the bridge make my heart go pitter-patter. The. Duck. The. City. The. Light. The precious little girl hanging out with her parents. I mean, really, it’s all too much for me!
And when this happened, I melted into a little Pinkle Toes puddle right on the spot!
Back to downtown Austin!
Mom snuggles and then a goodbye kiss from dad as they each went off to begin their days at work. Such a sweet, sweet routine and how lucky to have it on camera now!
Every now and then, I get a chance to really flex my creative muscles and do something out-of-the-norm for me. I am so very grateful that I was able to do this VERY different photo session with a perfect little model. And you’ll be able to tell how much I loved doing this by the major over sharing that is about to follow ;-). But you’re just going to have to put up with it because you love me and because this sweetie pie fit into her role completely! Thank you so much to her mommy for coming up with the idea to begin with and for finding us the perfect retro swimming pool in which to stage our vintage swimsuit photo shoot AND for introducing me to an amazing set stylist with whom I hope to work again in the future!
I mean for real. She was slaying it! Loved THIS one, too!
Note: I was pretty excited when mom told me she had secured a swan float for our session…especially since I had *just* seen one via Taylor Swift’s Instagram. Turns out that mom was *really* lucky to snag one thanks to the float’s new-found popularity! It’s okay, Taylor. We forgive you because you’re awesome. 😉
Next, it was time for ice cream ;-).
AND a flamingo float, too?!?!?!
And after everything was finished on dry land, we both got in the water. This proved to be challenging for me because the pool was a bit deep and I was having a tough time trying to swim and hold my camera at the same time. Fortunately, baby girl is a very skilled swimmer so she had no problems.
This one above looks like a vision of a mermaid one might see mysteriously appear in the ocean.
Bokeh sparkles!!!
Told you I was going to overshare. Look how GRACEFUL she is under water! Wow, wow, wow! My fav of her jumping in HERE!
I so enjoy getting to work with families with older children, especially repeat families because I really get to see little glimpses into my future before while watching these kids grow up before my eyes. First of all, let me tell you that the weather for their family photo session in Zilker Park could not have been any more perfect for a summer’s day. There was just the right amount of cloud cover that let us play with the city of Austin as our backdrop for a good hour AFTER sunrise, which is pretty much unheard of. While I’ve been to Zilker many times before, this was the first time I had ever climbed the rocks and I quite enjoyed the new perspective it gave us. I also liked hearing the boys reminisce about their memories climbing the rocks at the park as we explored.
At our last session, we played some football, and it was so cool to revisit that moment this time. But I kinda dug this take on it! #boymom
Brothers. Love.
Then we got to move on to the rowing docks. This is a HUGE pastime for this family and nothing is better than getting to capture something meaningful and memorable at a family photo session. And I loved the beautiful, bright colors this location gifted to us!
These two…SO cute together!!
I’m not sure if these boys realize just how lucky they are to have a mom and dad as cool as theirs ;-).
Side note: it was surprisingly difficult to get all three boats together in the same frame…here’s an outtake, turned image from our efforts.
Yaaaaaaasssssss! And then they all literally jumped into the lake! Repeatedly. You would be surprised at how many takes it required to get just the perfect shots. Though I don’t think anyone minded the chance to cool off and refresh one bit ;-). Another jumping fav HERE!
So, if you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen this:
Followed shortly by this:
Okay, you *may* need some shades to get through all of the images in this family session. Truly, one of the most VIVID and colorful and URBAN photo sessions I’ve done in Austin! I’ve driven by the Austin Graffiti Park many times and I’ve always wanted to check it out, so I was pretty excited when my chance finally came with one of the most Austin families you’ll ever meet. Now, I will say, it was a bit of a challenge to avoid #1 the mud, #2 me falling off a wall, and especially #3 the not-so-appropriate “art,” but we did our best and these guys were positively AMAZING! I cannot think of a better group of cool, hip, awesome people to try to pull this off with! My absolute FAVORITE image (which will also be going in my portfolio whenever I get around to updating it 😉 is HERE!
You don’t say?
THE COLORS!!!!!!
Hello!
We were *trying* to have a serious moment here, but it just wasn’t happening. By this point, we were all pretty delirious with the heat and all nice and sweaty, lol!
You know I can’t pass up a cool reflection!
A bit like a game of Where’s Waldo…see if you can find all five people ;-).
Some of the randomness we spotted.
And, I want to give a shout-out to photographer Christie Goss who flew all the way in from Jackson, Wyoming (in a TROPICAL STORM, no less) to come hang with me for a few days and talk all things photography and business-related (rescheduled her Pinkle Toes Photography Workshop). She is SO wonderful, SO talented, and we had a fantastic time tooling around Austin. Thank you so much, Christie. I really enjoyed my time with you and I look forward to getting to visit with you again!
And now, from mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Chris and I met in 5th grade, went to prom together our senior year and celebrated our 11th anniversary just two days after this photo shoot. We created three pretty awesome small people, Paxton (8), Evan (5) and Hamilton (2.5) that we are just trying really hard not to mess up too bad.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
Michele came to our house right after we were fortunate enough to move back to Austin in 2011 and she’s been a staple for our family every year since. This year I was in a panic trying to figure out when we could fit our annual session into our crazy 2015 schedule….needless to say, the stars aligned and she contacted me!
Where was your session held and why?
We went to HOPE Outdoor Gallery aka Graffiti Park at Castle Hills aka the Baylor Street Art Wall. Our kids had been dying to explore the park and I just love the ever changing art work and colors. Michele needed us to go somewhere urban and super Austin-y. I really couldn’t wait to see what she could do there.
What did you like about your session location?
Oh, Ha! See above??? I think it’s a place that screams Austin. It was started as an educational art project and is one of the largest outdoor galleries in the USA. There are little gems hidden everywhere within the artwork (and some not so hidden gems we tried to avoid, ha!).
What was your favorite part of your session?
That it stopped raining just long enough to squeeze the session in at all??? That, and just exploring all around the gallery…and that funky detergent baby hanging on the post…keep Austin weird, y’all.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
No way. At this point in our relationship, a session with Michele is like a little family reunion. [I feel the same, my sista!]
Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?
The fact that my oldest always finds a way to pass gas towards the end of our shoots with Michele and this year the baby was old enough to get it and then proceeded to run around and tell us all over and over that, “Paxton tooooooot!!!” and crack himself up.
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Relax and trust Michele. She sees things that you absolutely had no idea she was photographing at the time. She handled the fact that my daughter went through a phase where I had to be holding her at all times and that my boys are wild and crazy. She has photographed us everywhere from our house at sunset, to the Broken Spoke at the crack of dawn, to little pockets of west Austin, the hospital, her studio and now a giant graffiti wall. She’s photographed us dressed to the nines, casual, super pregnant and pushing out a baby. Every single image she has captured of us we have loved. Every. Single. One. Every time we see her I am anxious to see what she comes up with because I just know she’s going to produce something that takes my breath away once again. [Aw…wow…thank you, W!]
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
We spent a little time in Lubbock as a family and I had the privilege of doing some work for a neighbor that was a photographer. Having seen the behind the scenes action there, I scoured the internet when we moved back to Austin searching for the right “feel” for our family. I stumbled upon Pinkle Toes Photography, googlestalked her, and there was no turning back. Her website, her blog and most importantly, her images just spoke to me.
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
I am really glad Mom made us wear those goofy age shirts every year….when’s our next session with Michele?
There’s been a whole bunch of new little babies born this summer, so here’s another treat! This little cutie did soooooooo great during her newborn photo session…LOVE her sweet little poses that she did all on her own. I think she knew she was being photographed ;-). My favorite moment was between her and her big sister HERE.
From mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Our family balances each other out. We are different from one another but complement one another at the same time.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We wanted to do a newborn session since we recently had our second child.
Where was your session held and why?
At home.
What did you like about your session location?
Everyone could be comfortable. With a new baby, there is more chaos and being at home made most sense.
What was your favorite part of your session?
Sibling pictures- big sister Amara is super excited about her new role and adores her baby sister. Amara is very loving and loves helping her mom out however she can.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
Getting everyone ready and hoping for cooperative kiddos!
Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?
Amara wanted to spend the session holding or being close to her new baby sister and could not get enough!
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Michele is great to work with and she is very laid back and makes everyone feel comfortable- easy to be yourself. Try to relax and have fun!
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
As above, plus Michele’s pictures are so unique and she is so creative. When we were looking for a photographer, she stood out from the others with her vibrant and fun picture.
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
That it was so worth taking the time to do them.
——————
And, how about a short trip down memory lane with a look at some of their maternity portraits we took in downtown Austin. Side note: this was the only time I had to call a session early because of LIGHTNING!!! Whew…it was crazy! Made for beautiful clouds, but eventually it got to the point where it just wasn’t worth being outside anymore ;-(. Fortunately, we had gotten plenty of images beforehand and everyone did so great working so quickly!
I showed up to their beautiful home bright and early at 7 a.m. and I have to say, when you’re greeted with, “Miss Michelllllllle! I love you so much! We are besties!” well, you just can’t be grumpy about being up so early, lol. By the way, that was from Mr. Man and he rolled the ‘l’ in Michelllllllle every time he said it and I thought that was the cutest thing ever! Hard to believe I first started working with them when he was just a wee babe and now look at him! And now look at baby sister, too?! Yes, this family is indeed near and dear to my heart. So many wonderful memories at our photo sessions through the years. But probably most of all, this one lol ;-).
So, funny enough, just a few seconds after I started taking the pool pics, I stuck my arm in a wasp nest!!! Yeeeeeowtch!!! Occupational hazard. It’s crazy, too, because we had been working so much by it earlier in the session and nothing ever happened to the kiddos, thank goodness! I’m so glad it was me! Once I stopped crying (nah…I only cried on the inside), we got to play a little bit more and the kiddos were rewarded with popsicles. I’m glad we stuck it out because my favorite image was taken right here by the pool ;-0.
From Mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
Holden & Calla are growing up so fast and we like to capture as much of their lives as we can. We took our first family photos with Pinkletoes when Holden was 9 months old and have done sessions every 3 months for the past 2 years 🙂 We hang the canvases all over our home so that we can be surrounded by what we love the most – our family 🙂
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We try to do them every three months to capture Holden & Calla – they change so very much at this age 🙂
Where was your session held and why?
Our home – we wanted to capture our family together where we love to be – at home with each other 🙂
What did you like about your session location?
The trees were in bloom and we were at home with each other.
What was your favorite part of your session?
Playing ring around the rosie 🙂
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
No.
Any funny stories or interesting happenings during your session?
Calla is funny in that she is always smiling, however, for some reason she gets stonefaced when we do actual photo sessions 🙂
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Relax & have fun 🙂
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
When we moved to Austin 3 years ago, our photographer from Illinois said “you HAVE to get Pinkletoes to shoot you, I’ve been following her work and it’s beautiful.” So we booked our first session 3 years ago and we are always THRILLED with how they turn out – always better than expected (and we have high expectations). Also, we’ve come to love Michele, our kids get SO EXCITED to see her when we do a shoot.
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
Look how much fun we had together. Look how much we love each other.
These cuties are no strangers to the Pinkle Toes blog, but this is the first time I think we’ve worked together and I’ve really had the opportunity to experience their personalities. They are just getting to wonderful ages, where they are becoming more and more their own individuals and it’s been such a privilege to get to see that process happen in person!
This red wall was SUCH a find when mom pulled out all of this gorgeous red, white, and blue!
Sometimes, it’s nice to let the little ones take a step back away from the action of a photo shoot…where they don’t feel all the pressure is on them ;-).
And then…we got to RUN! And play! And RUN! And play some more!!
I was just commenting to someone about how much the Austin skyline has changed and so quickly! It’s amazing that while I may take pictures by the skyline nearly every 4th photo session, it’s NEVER the same it seems. Still crazy to think I can’t see the Frost Bank building from this vantage point any longer :-(.
Okay, so at this point, they were starting to feel their oats and they were getting so crazy and sooooooo funny!
And as always, don’t miss my PERSONAL FAV from their urban family session!
From mom:
Tell us a little bit about your family…
We are a family of four. The boys love legos, the beach and being silly.
What made you decide this was the time to do a photo session? Were you marking any special occasion, etc?
We do a yearly session with Michelle right around the boy’s birthdays. I like to see how they’ve grown in a year.
Where was your session held and why?
It was held in urban Austin because we wanted to capture the feel of the city we live in.
What did you like about your session location?
True austin feel.
What was your favorite part of your session?
My favorite part is always thinking that the kids didn’t follow directions and that we won’t have good pictures… then realizing that Michelle always captures the perfect moments and the photos are amazingly beautiful.
Was there anything you were nervous or worried about before the session?
The heat.
Any advice to other families before their photo sessions?
Just enjoy it.. it always turns out perfect.
What made you choose Pinkle Toes Photography?
We’ve been working with Pinkle Toes for 6 years!
What do you hope your kids/family will say years down the road when looking at these images?
Mommy put together great outfits for us all! 😉 {Um…yes. Let’s talk about that for a second. Miss S…most of us have a hard enough time pulling together just one outfit for everyone in the family…I don’t know how you managed TWO sets??? You always rock the wardrobe department, my friend!}